The FBI is reportedly launching an investigation into the agency’s plan to infiltrate President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign using two female “honeypot” agents working undercover.
The Washington Times reported that the covert probe was conducted “off-the-books” and was originally launched by former FBI Director James Comey, according to a whistleblower.
The off-the-books investigation, launched in 2015 by FBI Director James B. Comey, was revealed by an agency whistleblower in a protected disclosure to the House Judiciary Committee last year and first reported exclusively by The Washington Times in October.
In the intelligence community, a honeypot commonly refers to an undercover operative, usually a woman, who feigns sexual or romantic interest to obtain information from a target.
The whistleblower said two female FBI undercover employees infiltrated Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign at high levels and were directed to act as “honeypots” while traveling with Mr. Trump and his campaign staff.
The Times has learned that the bureau, now led by Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, is looking for those once-undercover employees under Mr. Comey’s direction.
This investigation was separate from Crossfire Hurricane, an FBI operation aimed at legitimizing the Russia collusion hoax. Agents sought to establish a connection between Trump and the Kremlin to give the impression that the president worked with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
The whistleblower stated that Comey “personally” directed the honeypot operation, according to The Washington Times.
The term “honeypot” refers to the use of female agents who use charm or seduction to entice a target into providing incriminating information to a law enforcement or intelligence agency.
The story of Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) provides an example of how this tactic works. The lawmaker was targeted by a Chinese operative between 2011 and 2015. She cozied up to Swalwell and other powerful individuals to gain information for the Chinese government.
James Comey’s insane Honeypot Operation was so dirty it was kept off the books. pic.twitter.com/DMbzBZ3ii9
— Big Fish (@BigFish3000) February 26, 2025
The Washington Times’ report notes that Comey’s investigation was not looking into a specific crime committed by members of Trump’s campaign. Rather, it was more of a “fishing expedition” to see if the FBI could find any incriminating information against the president or his team.
The whistleblower said the undercover operation was obscured from Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, who investigated misconduct in the bureau’s probe of the Trump campaign.
“The case had no predicated foundation, so Comey personally directed the investigation without creating an official case file in Sentinel or any other FBI system,” according to the whistleblower’s disclosure. “The FBI has multiple methods of protecting highly sensitive investigations, so Comey did not have a legitimate reason not to officially create an official investigation file or have a file number.”
This is yet another story showing how politicized the FBI became in the Trump era. The Bureau essentially functioned as a weapon against the president before and after he won the 2016 election.
Over the past decade, nothing appears to have changed. The Bureau continued going after Trump even when he was out of office. Not only that, the agency targeted everyday people with conservative views. This included parents speaking out at school board meetings against inappropriate material in classrooms and pro-life protesters.
Newly-appointed FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to root out the influence of politics in the Bureau.